Quebec ‘C’est Cheese’

“To us it is a glorious theme,To sing of milk, and curds, and

cream.”- James McIntyre - Canada’s cheese poet

Margaret Webb•Grew up on a farm just outside of Barrie

•Senoir editor at various national news magazines

•Articles in The Globe and Mail, Saturday Night, Chatelaine, Toronto Life, The Toronto Star, and Canadian Geographic

•Recently published a series of articles in the Toronto Star relating to food policy and sustainability

Quebec’s Cheese Industry•Artisnal cheese making has spurred and

agricultural renaissance

•Leading edge of cheese making since 1893

•School in St. Hyacinthe etablished my monks

•1980s Fritz Kaiser began making European style cheeses

• Inspired a new wave of artisan cheese makers

•Now over 300 cheeses

Frédéric Poulin

•Father sold family dairy farm to get out of debt

•Got a job as a manager at a large scale dairy farm

• Île-aux-Grues

•Eventually invested more than $300,000

C’est Cheese•Issues in Quebec’s Cheese Industry

Outbreak

•Listeriosis and Salmonella cause death, premature births, miscairages among more than 1000 people.

•Millions of dollars in cheese thrown out

•Rigid health inspections increased and health officials began making surprise visits

•To pastuerize or not to pasteurize?

•Health inspectors too rigid?

•Would you take the risk?